Teeth Brushed by Leaves on the Way Out
Teeth Brushed by Leaves on the Way Out
I’d like to speak sometimes
in Tree–
pronouncing branches
that catch, when splintering,
in your limbs;
or Dawn,
my words, enlightened;
detailing, without wooden exposition,
those branches held
in a crux of you.
Other times (though too rarely)
I’d speak
in Listen,
the tenses of bark
muted by that past, that present, that sweet
imperfect.
*******************************
A draft flash 55-word poem for the marvelous Hedgewitch’s (Joy Ann Jones) prompt (based on the flash 55 meme by the inimitable G-Man) on With Real Toads. Special bonus for a pairing. Not sure this qualifies! (Photo is mine–all rights reserved.)
This is actually from a much longer poem written today, with other verses, but maybe better to keep this short version! Hurrah for editing.
Speaking of editing, I mistyped the title on first posting! Agh!
Explore posts in the same categories: 55, poetry, UncategorizedTags: flash 55, http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com, manicddaily, speaking also in dawn, speaking also in listen, speaking in tree, the crux of you poem
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ManicDDaily 
December 5, 2015 at 3:11 pm
I believe that you already speak Listen. As a poet, you come across as someone who uses her six senses to their maximum capacity (yes, six! 🙂 )
Greetings from London.
December 5, 2015 at 5:46 pm
The speak in listen is something I would love to be better at… but definitely a great way to be multilingual.. speaking tree would be good too.. maybe I could meet some ents.
December 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm
speaking tree; now thats a language i woul luv to learn
much love…
December 5, 2015 at 7:53 pm
Lovely poem, Karin.
December 5, 2015 at 8:08 pm
amazing!
December 6, 2015 at 3:11 am
fine personification. love those tongues, and that tree, caught in the crux ~
December 6, 2015 at 7:04 am
The language of trees is very very involved and slow, according to Tolkien anyway, but its vocabulary covers things of which we can’t begin to conceive. I can’t help but feel that poetry is similar, and this is beautiful poetry, with imagery that challenges us to reframe our identity/relationships in thoughts of what it is to be a slower, more rooted thing–especially love the last stanza–now that is a language few take the time to learn, or speak–to see listening as its own language is a powerful (and very true) insight indeed.Thanks so much for finding the time to participate, Karin.
December 6, 2015 at 7:07 am
Thank you, Joy, for cool prompt and kind comment. I have a longer version of the poem I may work on for open link. K.
December 6, 2015 at 8:19 am
What a paradise this world would be if we could learn “to speak in three” and “in listen”… It seems that we most often speak in self.
December 6, 2015 at 9:23 am
To speak and listen for love in varying forms and situations can be interesting! Lovely write K!
Hank
December 6, 2015 at 11:35 am
I would like to learn those languages too. This is lovely, and clever and thoughtful.
December 6, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Perhaps as poets we already speak in tree, wind, lightning, stone, ocean & birdsong. I, for one, assisted by my loving spouse have been working on improving my speaking in Listen; which as a type-A individual I found difficult. Looking forward to the “rest of the story” with this train of poetic thought.
December 7, 2015 at 6:29 am
Speaking in Listen, imagine.
December 8, 2015 at 4:53 am
OMG! Would you consider selling me your imagination?
December 9, 2015 at 2:51 am
Wow….I am speechless. I love this so much!
December 13, 2015 at 10:53 pm
speak in listen… now that is truly something we need more of. Intriguing photo – it looks like that one branch is about ready to fall!